For gamers looking to build an empire and spread their influence across a map, their main port of call has been the legendary Sid Meier's Civilization series. Civilization has dominated the market of 4X games -- explore, expand, exploit and exterminate -- for years. But, Parisian game developer Amplitude Studios have crafted their own take on historical conquests, Humankind. After some open betas and a four-month delay to add a final bit of shine, players and now able to take their nomadic tribes up to the space age.
The reviews are now starting to come in for Amplitude's challenge to Civilization's crown. By and large, it appears that critics are enjoying their time with Humankind, some much more than others. Where comparing it to Civilization is a common, obvious discussion point, opinion seems to be split on whether Humankind can stand shoulder-to-shoulder alongside it. Here is what the reviews are saying.
Fraser Brown, PC Gamer: "There's something weirdly mythical about the historical 4X and the dominance of a single series, Civilization, for 30 years. But Amplitude Studios has spent a decade preparing to rewrite that myth. Humankind is the result: a massive, history-spanning behemoth that's kept me on its hooks until sunrise a few times. But in trying to make its own Civilization, Amplitude may have sacrificed too much of what made its earlier games, Endless Legend in particular, such compelling weirdos."
Leana Hafer, IGN: "I don't dislike Humankind – far from it. But as the sun sets on my attractive empire, I'm not that impressed with it either. It certainly has some strong ideas, and the diplomacy system, at least in theory, is excellent. I loved the flexibility of being able to specialize in something different with each new culture I adopted. But especially against the passive and tactically inept AI, I kept feeling like I'd rather be playing Civ 4, or Civ 5, or Civ 6. To be fair, if this were a Civilization game, that would almost be expected – they've each come out in a state that was a bit underwhelming compared to where their predecessors ended up after multiple expansions. And maybe with time and DLC, Humankind will stand alongside the best of them as well. For now, it's an intriguing, though not always excelling, offshoot of a time-tested formula that succeeds at making me want to keep clicking one more turn…"
Nate Crowley, RockPaperShotgun: "No point drawing this out: is Humankind as good as Civ? Yes. I think. But honestly, I can't think of anything less fun for me, less fair to either game, or less useful to you, than a long set of oblique feature comparisons, ramping up to an arguably worthless "better than/worse than" verdict. What I can tell you is that whenever I open up Steam, my brain starts moving towards the prospect of playing Humankind like a tray of nails sliding towards a giant cartoon magnet. It is, indeed, the precise sort of magnetism I have felt from Civ games in the past. As far as I'm concerned, Humankind lives up to a giant slice of the hype which has preceded it, and it should rightly be considered as state-of-the-art for the 4X genre."
Ruth Cassidy, Games Radar: "Humankind may not reinvent the wheel, but it thoroughly buffs that wheel up. I didn't even realise how many knocks that thing had taken until now. While I find its successionist approach to historical cultures odd, Humankind is, without hyperbole, one of the nicest 4X games to actually play. Every pain point traditional to the genre has been massaged away, and in its place is something somehow both player-led sandbox and competitive strategy. It might have a couple of technical issues to iron out, but its core design means there's something for everyone. Bring on the world famous merchant-scientist-farmers."
Richard Scott-Jones, PCGamesN: "Each game is a series of these eureka moments...With each game I finish, I can't wait to start another and make more discoveries. This process is the core of Humankind, and because the circumstances are so variable, so is the process. Though some cultures' bonuses are more niche than others, and some (like the Celts or the French) are pretty overpowered in theory, your in-game needs will ensure the decision is always as interesting as Sid would wish. Experimenting with new cultures creates tremendous replayability, and because you're doing so under the pressure of events, there are stakes which just don't exist in Civilization."
Jake Tucker, NME: "Humankind was an opportunity to do things differently in the 4X genre. As it is, it has some fantastic ideas – city changes, the cultures and the narrative elements all impress – but it falls into the same problem as each of its competitors. The end is too stodgy and too much busywork to make finishing a game worthwhile. Still, until that point you’ll have a blast."
Jason Rodriguez, PC Invasion: "Yes, Humankind does have notable flaws that can make your playthroughs bothersome. In some cases, you might just choose the same cultures because they're the most viable. In others, you'd find that the mid-game onwards has you going through the motions. And, as cited earlier, the encyclopedia feature is barely readable...Overall, Humankind can be a worthwhile game due to the plethora of options for you to try out and consider. It's visually appealing, so it's got the charm and flair to keep you engaged. There are even features that let you create your own avatar so your buddies can play against an AI opponent that you designed. Additionally, there's a map editor that you can test and share, as well as mod support that'll arrive soon."
Humankind is available August 17 on PC and Google Stadia.